


A Variety of Drabbles

by notmyyacht



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Angst, Apocalypse, Barba and Sonny being domestic and owning a cat, Barba in a Cop Sandwich, Character Death, Christmas, Domestic Fluff, Drabble Collection, Episode: s17e05 Community Policing, Established Relationship, Fluff, Ice Skating, Massaging, Multi, Past Relationship(s), Pining, Pre-Slash, Rollins just wants to see Barba in a fluffy bathrobe, Stress Baking, hi this is Sonny and welcome to jackass: Barba's office edition, it's not as dirty as you think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2018-03-31 09:57:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 11,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3973774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notmyyacht/pseuds/notmyyacht
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of completely unrelated (sort of) drabbles with sentence and pairing prompts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Barsonisi & “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

**Author's Note:**

> The tags go in order and are added to as I add more drabbles.

It was the first time Sonny ever got Olivia to laugh and hoo boy, was it worth the wait! Her laughter was probably one of the most beautiful sounds he’d ever heard. Bells chiming, a choir of angels, all that crap was true.

_Don’t think about that, she’s your boss_ , he scolded himself, looking down at his feet, hoping she wouldn’t notice the blush in his cheeks. Oh no, he was in trouble.

A knock at the office door caused the angelic laughter to die down. Sonny looked up and there was Rafael, looking as attractive as ever in his well-tailored three-piece suit. Sonny sighed in spite of himself. Rafael flashed him a quick smirk to accept the unspoken compliment.

For the next few minutes, whatever words were exchanged between his boss and his boyfriend faded to the back of his mind. Something about the latest case? Sonny couldn’t pay attention, not when the two most beautiful people he knew were standing in his presence. How had he never appreciated it before?

We watched them as they spoke. Rafael was standing in Olivia’s personal bubble and Olivia looked to be enjoying the conversation a little too much. Perhaps they weren’t talking about the case anymore. Olivia said something causing a smile to form on Rafael’s lips. Sonny couldn’t make him smile like that, not with witty banter anyway. Rafael could probably make Olivia laugh that beautiful laugh without too much difficulty. Sonny felt like he was going to be sick.

“Detective Carisi, care to join me?”

Sonny hadn’t realized they were both now focused on him.

“Huh?” Sonny replied.

“I have to go back to my office and go through some files… are you alright?”

There was no hiding the red in Sonny’s face now.

“Yeah, fine. Whatever,” he said, turning and walking out of Olivia’s office. Rafael followed after him.

A few minutes later, they were in Rafael’s car.

“Are we going to talk about what happened back there or…?”

Sonny stared out the window.

“It was nothing,” he grumbled. Rafael opened his mouth to respond with a snarky remark, but Sonny spoke up again before he could. “How close are you and Benson?”

“I’m not sure-”

“Because you two seem all buddy-buddy.  _Much_  too close for just friends. Now either I missed something, or…”

“Okay, stop  _right_  there.” They hit a red light and Rafael took advantage of it to look Sonny in the eye. “What the hell are you talking about? Where…” His eyebrows shot up. “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

Sonny stared at him a moment. Then, “I bet you can make her laugh easier than I can.”

Rafael was speechless. An accomplishment not many ever reached. Neither noticed the light had turned green until a honk of a horn behind them. Rafael gripped the steering wheel and drove on.

“Who exactly are you jealous of?” he finally said.

“I’m not really sure.”


	2. Barson & “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

Olivia could afford to take a break. Her babysitter still had an hour with Noah, so one drink after a long week wouldn’t hurt.

She sat at the bar, for once allowing her mind to go blank. It wasn’t even five yet, so the place was relatively quiet, though Olivia didn’t pay too much attention. She didn’t even really notice the man who sat next to her until he started speaking directly at her.

Olivia snapped out of her trance to acknowledge the stranger.

“I’m sorry?”

“I said ‘You look like you’ve had a rough week.’” The stranger was a a few years younger than her, with graying temples with a scruffy demeanor of stubble on his chin and a leather jacket on his back. Very, very attractive.

His gray eyes fixated on her face as he started making small talk. Olivia welcomed it. She wasn’t about to go home with him or anything, but the company was nice.

She didn’t realize Rafael Barba was also in the pub, though in the corner. He hadn’t noticed she was there until the stranger made her lightly laugh. He spotted her at the end of the bar talking to some man he didn’t know.

Good for her, he told himself. If Olivia can juggle a relationship on top of everything on her plate, then good for her. It didn’t help that every time one of the two raised their voices loud enough to hear from the corner, Rafael’s chest tightened.

He focused on his own scotch and tried not to look over at them. It’s not his business… But he’s sitting so close to her. She’s having a good time with whoever he is… But he just touched her arm.

Rafael considered leaving. He wasn’t done with his drink, but he couldn’t keep debating with himself like this- Over what?

He glanced over at them and saw the stranger look at his watch. He said something to Olivia and they shook hands and smiled. He quickly scribbled something down on a napkin and handed it to her. He got down from his stool and left.

Olivia’s eyes followed him out. There was still a slight smile on her lips when she caught sight of Rafael staring at her.

Crap.

She picked up her drink and came over to him.

“Liv,” he nodded up at her.

“Mind if I join you?”

Rafael gestured for her to sit, which she did.

“How long have you been sitting here?” she asked. He shrugged.

“Since the conviction.”

“Two hours?” she raised her eyebrows. Rafael downed the rest of his scotch.

“Not my place to ask, but who was tall, dark and handsome?” The words spilled from Rafael’s lips. Olivia smirked at his bluntness.

“His name’s James. I just met him. He sat next to me and we chatted a bit. Why so curious?”

He focused his gaze on his now empty glass, not looking at her.

“I suppose that was his number on that napkin.”

“Yeah, but I’m not going to call him.”

Rafael finally looked up at her.

“Don’t exactly have much time for a relationship these days…” she trailed off and sat back in her seat. “Why are you so interested anyway?”

“I just don’t think -didn’t think-  he was your type. We’re friends. Don’t friends talk about relationships?” Although it was a good argument, it didn’t sound at all convincing in Rafael’s mouth.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him.

“Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

His cheeks flushed red and he opened his mouth to protest. It wasn’t true, wasn’t it? Instead, he made a quip back.

“Well, I’m not planning on giving you a napkin with my number on it anytime soon… Not when you already have my number.”

Olivia’s eyes sparkled as a smile spread across her face.


	3. Barisi & “You need to wake up because I can’t do this without you.”

Barba had woken up sick earlier that morning. After much arguing and Barba blowing his nose more time than either cared to count, Sonny finally convinced him to stay home for the day.

To his dismay, Sonny ended up working late. He wanted to make Barba soup after work…

It was late when Sonny finally stepped into the apartment. He smiled as he closed the door. Having a key to Barba’s apartment was still new for the both of them. He didn’t call out just in case Barba was sleeping.

Sonny walked to the partially open bedroom door and poked his head in. He spotted a lump under all the covers and a bottle of Nyquil on the bedside table. Sonny smiled. At least he was getting some rest.

Sonny made his way to the bathroom and peeled off his sweat-stained clothes. It was one of the first hot days of the year and he had overdressed that morning with a three-piece suit. Barba’s sense of fashion was rubbing off on him all right.

He turned on the water and stepped under the spray, not really caring to wait for the water to heat up. He ran shampoo-covered fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp.

A low groaning in the wall gave Sonny pause. Barba had told him the building was in need of pipe maintenance. He couldn’t recall when exactly it was scheduled, though. Sonny shrugged and continued to lather himself up.

There was another groan, louder. Sonny stared at the wall, just under the showerhead where it was loudest. He leaned in to listen for a moment. The third groan sounded too loud for Sonny’s taste. Yep, time to get out… But before Sonny could rinse off, another groan followed by a high creak echoed in the bathroom.

“Oh shit…”

Water shot out from under the showerhead, hitting Sonny right in the eye. He doubled backward, slipping on the floor and falling on his ass. He looked up to see more spouts of water shooting out of places water shouldn’t be coming out of.

He quickly opened the shower door to avoid getting hit again. Sonny awkwardly stumbled out of the shower. Soap took that moment to drip into his eye.

Sonny cursed under his breath and staggered over to the sink. He quickly turned the knob, determined to rinse his eye out.

“Fuckfuckfuckfuck,” he muttered, scooping water with both hands and splashing his face. Then he heard another groan. He took a step back from the sink.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me!”

The pipe under the sink burst, spurting water at Sonny’s legs. He yelped and backed up against the wall. He knew that the pipe situation in Barba’s building was bad, but he didn’t realize it was this bad. What was he supposed to  _do_?

Shampoo trickled down into Sonny’s other eye.

“Ah, fucking Christ!” he yelped, clutching his face. He burst out of the bathroom, the door slamming against the wall as he ran down the hall to the bedroom.

“Raf! RAFAEL WAKE UP!” he shouted, jumping onto the bed, still wet and soapy form head to toe. One hand still clutching his eye, he shook Barba’s shoulder.

“Rafael, wake the fuck up!! You need to wake up because I can’t do this without you!” Sonny released his eye to use both hands to shake him.

Barba continued to snore, not moving a muscle. Sonny yelled out in frustration. He got to his feet, still on the bed.

“RAF-AE-L!” He shouted, jumping with every syllable. Barba cracked an eye open. He groaned and turned onto his side, away from Sonny.

“Oh no, you don’t. Sick or not, I have no clue what to do. WAKE UP!” Sonny pulled all the covers off Barba and started tugging at his ankle.

“Sonny, go awaaaaay,” Barba mumbled.

“No! The bathroom exploded and I don’t know what to do!!”

“Ngh?” Barba opened his eyes and looked up at Sonny. “Why are you…? Exploded…? What…?”

Barba sat up, swinging his legs to the side of the bed. He eyed Sonny’s appearance.

“You missed a spot,” he grumbled.

Sonny managed to get him to his feet and lead him to the flooding bathroom. Barba stood in the doorway, still half-asleep. He looked at the watery mess, then at Sonny’s soapy body, then back to the bathroom. He rubbed his eyes.

“We’ve got a leak.”


	4. Barollins & "You heard me. Take. It. Off."

Barba stands there, wide-eyed, not sure if he heard Rollins correctly.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me. Take. It. Off.” Rollins frowns. “Don’t make me say it again.”

Barba’s face flushes as he looks down at his drenched suit.

The distance between the street and Rollins’ apartment hadn’t been far, but without an umbrella it was impossible not to get soaked in the pouring rain. Not that it would stop the justice system from working, oh no. They were supposed to be at the station by now, but Rollins left a file at her apartment so she and Barba had to make a small detour.

Leaving his office, Barba said it was “no problem.” Now awkwardly standing in Rollins’ living room, dripping from head to toe, he wishes he could recant that.

“Look, there’s a flood warning out and Liv just texted me to tell us to stay where we are. The paperwork can wait. I doubt you want to catch a cold, so I suggest you get undressed.”

Barba opens his mouth to protest. It really could wait, and he had no appointments for the rest of the day, but the idea of staying at Rollins’ apartment for the next few hours at the least wasn’t exactly how he imagined spending his afternoon.


	5. Barsonisi & "Well this is awkward..."

Fin and Rollins could not have walked in at a worse time. Olivia had forgotten she wanted them to swing by Barba's office after they questioned the suspect. Olivia didn't know they would be in this position.

Barba seemed the most embarrassed out of the three. He has a reputation, after all. His face bloomed a bright red and he closed his eyes, praying that this wasn't happening.

The plan was to ease Barba up. The man hadn't been able to take a day off in weeks, he had too much to do and not enough time to do it. The plan was to force the workaholic to take a break. Just a massage, maybe some cuddling. But quick.

"Ten minutes wouldn't kill ya!" Sonny persisted. When Barba repeated he was "fine" for the millionth time, they moved in.

Olivia sauntered up to him and easily slipped her fingers around his silky, flower-patterned tie. She leaned in and started kissing along his jaw.

"Councilor, you need to relax."

Barba smirked and raised an eyebrow. He tensed at first to the hands on his shoulders.

"You've been working too hard," Sonny said softly into his ear as he dug his thumbs into Barba's shoulderblades. Barba melted into the touch.

"Maybe... ten minutes won't kill me," he sighed, rocking between the two. Olivia loosened his tie and undid the top few buttons, just enough so she could dip her fingers into the undershirt and stroke the small amount of chest hair peeking out.

Finished with Barba's shoulders, Sonny moved lower, pressing and stroking his hands over the muscles of Barba's clothed back.

"How's that?" he asked. Barba hummed in approval.

Olivia moved further until she was kissing his cheeks and around his mouth, teasing kisses that made Barba pout and try to kiss her back on the lips. She smiled, averting his attempts. He full-on whined when Olivia abandoned his face completely to kiss Sonny over his shoulder.

"And I thought this was about me."

"It is," said Sonny, kissing his ear and quickly sliding his hands over the curve of Barba's ass, giving him a squeeze for good measure.

That was when Fin and Rollins walked in unannounced.

The three froze. Olivia still had one hand on Barba's chest, the other on his belly. Sonny was full-on cupping Barba's ass with both hands.

"Well this is awkward..." was all Fin could say to break the silence. Barba's cheeks burned.

"Don't they teach you how to _knock_ at the police academy?"


	6. Barisi & "I swear it was an accident."

"And don't touch anything!" Barba called back at him, leaving Sonny completely alone in the office.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and scanned the room. He'd never been in Barba's office alone before. This was a lot of faith being put into him. He very well could have taken the detective with him to the floor below to check in with another ADA about the current case that tied in with one from several years ago.

Perhaps this was a small gesture that Barba was starting to accept him. Sonny smiled, a light blush rising to his cheeks.

_Don't touch anything._

Though that did sound _very_ untrusting.

Sonny glanced over at the open door. He frowned and shifted his gaze to the contents of Barba's desk.

In the previous visits to Barba's office, Sonny would always pick one thing to notice. From the books on his shelves to what he hung on the walls. It was a way to slowly observe the smaller details about the ADA that he would not have noticed on first glance. He realized he never took in Barba's desk before.

Not all that much aside from necessities, a stapler, some tape... What the hell is that?

Sonny picked it up and turned it over in his hands. He squinted at it. It was a heavy, dark purple sphere, slightly bigger than the span of his palm. A paperweight maybe? It felt cool against his skin, almost like marble.

What the...?

He held it up to the light just in time for the phone in his pocket to start vibrating. The sudden buzz startled him, making him jump slightly. Sonny heard the sphere smash against the corner of the desk and onto the floor before he could process that he dropped it.

"Oh."

Sonny could see Barba's face now. Beet red and furious when he returns. It was probably a gift from his grandmother or something. Valuable. It had felt like marble in his hands. His stomach churned at the returning thought of it being a gift from his grandmother. Didn't something happen to her several weeks ago?

Oh god, he really fucked up.

When Barba did return five minutes later, he was greeted by the sullen expression on Sonny's face.

Sonny had sunken into one of the chairs in front of Barba's desk; he stared down at the remains of the sphere. Sonny looked up at him like a child who disappointed his parents.

"I swear it was an accident," he said softly. Barba narrowed his eyes.

"You shouldn't have touched anything. I told you not to." Barba sounded relatively calm. He rolled his eyes; it really was like talking to a child. He situated himself between Sonny and the sad remains of the desk object. "And you don't have to be sorry, so don't say it."

Sonny's brow furrowed as he looked up at him.

"Councilor?"

"You actually did me a favor. Mr. Buchanan gave it to me as a joke of a present from that last case. I honestly don't even know what it is or what I was going to do with it. Thanks for making up my mind for me."

Barba patted Sonny on the thigh before leaving the office to tell his secretary about getting someone in to clean up the mess.


	7. Barisi, Cute

For the most part, at the beginning, Barba considers the new guy rather childish, talkative, and has a lot to learn. At least he’s on Olivia’s team. He’ll learn eventually.   
  
A few months in and the new guy has gotten worse. Carisi has a knack for trying to win approval -especially Barba’s. It’s understandable that the kid wants to put what he’s learning at Fordham to use… but it’s getting a little annoying. Barba shoots down Carisi’s obvious attempts to win his approval. Perhaps the skinny kid will take the hint.  
  
He doesn’t take the hint, but rather uses it as fuel to try harder next time. Barba has to admit, the kid is persistent. He praises him once in a while. At least Carisi is learning.   
  
_Carisi’s lips are also really soft. Barba doesn’t question it when Carisi puts a hand on his thigh. It’s warm and he smells of lavender. Barba can’t get enough as he buries his face into the detective’s neck and nips at the skin. The hand on Barba thigh moves higher and starts stroking him. Barba isn’t sure when they even took their clothes off…_  
  
The alarm jolts Barba awake. He wildly grabs at the clock and turns the alarm off. He lets out a sigh and lies back against the pillow. He lifts the covers and blushes in embarrassment. Wow, he hasn’t done that since he was a teenager. The images from his dream are still fresh in his mind. He mentally flips through them in shock. It was just a dream… his brain could have put anybody’s face there.  
  
But the images don’t fade as the day goes on. Barba dreads having to visit the precinct, but the SVU squad is ready to have him press charges on this rapist. He avoids going first thing in the morning, texting Olivia to hold the sonuvabitch for a few hours longer. “I’ll be a little late” he tells her. He doesn’t give an explanation and he usually never does. Everything’s fine.  
  
Paperwork actually helps him take his mind off the dream. By nearly lunchtime, Barba finally goes to the precinct.   
  
It’s fine, he tells himself, it was just a stupid dream. Doesn’t mean anything.  
  
Barba is so wrong. He spots Carisi as soon as he walks into the bullpen. The lanky detective is bent over the table, looking at photo evidence with Rollins. Barba freezes in his spot, inconspicuously staring at the curve of Carisi’s ass. It’s not until Olivia calls him over does he snap out of his daze. He avoids looking Carisi in the eye the entire time, focusing solely on what is being said to him and the evidence being placed in front of him. Carisi says something to get approval. Barba doesn’t listen to the words, but immediately says “Good, Detective. Good work.”  
  
Barba looks up then because everyone is silent. Carisi is smiling like he was just told he made honor roll. He looks so cute like that, Barba thinks. Wait, cute? When did that become a word to describe Carisi with? Sure, Barba was staring at his nicely formed ass, but cute? Barba swallows thickly. He’s in big trouble. REALLY big trouble.


	8. Barisi, first thing in the morning

He told Benson he would be there first thing in the morning, generally meaning no later than eight. Now it’s nearly nine-thirty in the morning and Barba is rushing to the precinct. In the elevator, he pats his hair and adjusts his tie.

 _First thing in the morning_ , he keeps repeating to himself. The one time he actually had to do something “first thing in the morning” and he overslept. Rafael Barba isn’t one who oversleeps. He wouldn’t say he’s a morning person, but he usually has no problems waking up early (then swallowing at least three cups of coffee by this time). The worst part? Barba had no excuse for oversleeping. Stress of the job was about the same as usual, he went to sleep at a reasonable time, so what was the problem?

Barba supposes it might have been that dream he could not remember now. He only remembered the disappointment that it _was_ only a dream. He shakes it off and walks into the bullpen, mouth running about where the suspect is; an attempt to draw any attention away from the fact he’s a little later than expected.

No one comments about it and they jump right into talking about the case.

The whole time, Barba can feel eyes on him. He knows who is staring, who is noticing he didn’t shave that morning, noticing his wardrobe is slightly off because they’re looking too closely. When his eyes meet Sonny’s, the young detective smiles, knowing.

Barba gathers his things together, preparing to head to the courthouse for the arraignment he has in an hour. He spots Sonny in the corner of his eye, smirking.

“Is there something you want, detective?” he asks.

Sonny’s smirk widens into a smile and he leans in close.

“Your tie doesn’t match your pocket square,” he whispers. Barba blinks up at him.

“Your point?”

“Oversleep, counselor? You forgot to shave, unless you’re going for the rugged look. You growin’ a beard?”

Barba stares hard at Sonny, the dream from the night before coming back to him with images that hit him like a train. It had been so vivid. He glances at Sonny’s hands, the hands that gently undid his tie and roughly tugged at his belt in the dream. He can’t help lingering over Sonny’s mouth. Those lips were soft in his dream, and hot when they kissed down his chest. Barba wants to kiss those lips now…

 _It’s your fault I’m a mess this morning_ , he interrupts his own thoughts. Sonny is still looking at him with a playful gaze.

“Don’t worry, we all have our off days,” he says, “it’s just weird seeing you on one of yours. You still look perfect.”

Perfect. The word catches them both by surprise. Sonny’s smile is suddenly gone; he didn’t mean to say that out loud. Perfect? Barba blinks, head swimming with a thousand things.

“Goodbye detective,” Barba replies simply before turning and leaving.

Perfect… it wouldn’t be such a big deal if they both hadn’t reacted so surprised by the word. It shouldn’t be a such a big deal. Barba makes himself look perfect from his suits to his hair. The slightest bit of that is off and it’s easily noticed. No big deal.

But there was a sweetness to Sonny’s voice when he said it… as if he were complimenting a lover.

Perfect. By the time Barba reaches his office, the thought makes him smile.


	9. Barisi, The Right Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is post-"Community Policing"

“I think you did the right thing.”

“Oh did I?” Barba’s voice is doing That Thing. ‘That Thing’ being when he’s on the verge of exploding with so much frustration and rage that you can hear it in his tone; he talks even faster and his voice raises slightly. It’s not something you want to be on the other end of. Sonny has seen it only a few times, but he’s certain Barba probably does it at least once a week.

“I’m surprised you would say that,” Barba continues, “considering your statement to the Grand Jury. Something could have been done and you know it, _Liv_ knows it, and yet…”

Barba’s face is red. He’s shaking. For half a second Sonny thinks he might actually explode.

“Because maybe we were wrong. We didn’t lie, we said what he thought was the truth, but that wasn’t enough. I know that.” Sonny watches as the resentment in Barba’s eyes fades. He wonders what’s going on inside that head. Does Barba hate him? Hate the NYPD? Hate Benson? What she was feeling couldn’t have been easy; he should know that. Barba is on the verge of losing so much and this entire thing hasn’t been helping in the slightest.

Sonny suddenly finds himself feeling happy and proud of Barba for getting the indictment. God, he respects this man so much. He does what needs to be done, even if it includes destroying a friendship. He hopes that friendship isn’t over. Barba and Benson work so well together; it would be a lie to say he wasn’t jealous. But Barba was willing to put the NYPD under the microscope for the sake of doing what’s right. It was right. Barba was right.

“I’m sorry we were such a disappoint to you, counselor. Perhaps we can learn from this.” He sticks his hand out to shake. Barba looks down at it as if it were a fire poker and it would surely burn him. He looks up again at Sonny’s stone face.

Sonny feels Barba’s hand slip into his and clasp around it. There is a static shock when their hands touch, sending electricity through Sonny’s body and he knows he’s blushing now, but his serious expression never changes. Barba’s eye twitches at the small shock but it doesn’t falter his shaking Sonny’s hand. Quite symbolic, Sonny thinks to himself, for when their hands part there’s a bit more life in how Barba holds himself.

Barba tries to avoid looking Sonny in the eye, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as his hands fidget at his sides. His face is red again, but not for the same reasons as before.

“Thank you, Detective Carisi. I…” Barba trails off, his eyes now fixated on Sonny’s face. Sonny smiles, about to quip 'cat got your tongue?’, but is suddenly and unexpectantly interrupted.

The hands suddenly holding onto Sonny’s shoulders grip the fabric underneath them, firmly holding him there. The body pressed up against him is warm and soft. The mouth pressing against his is purposeful, but not necessarily passionate. This is a firm 'thank you’.

Barba starts to pull back by allowing his feet, which he had been standing upon his toes, to finally be flat against the carpeted floor of the office. But Sonny wasn’t ready for it to be over. He bends as Barba moves down the few inches. Sonny had never really noticed how short Barba was; the man is such a presence in the room, Sonny just feels smaller next to him.

Barba doesn’t object to the hands resting on either side of his face as the lips pressed against his own softly explore a bit. 'You’re welcome.’

Their lips finally part, but neither let go of the other.

A grin breaks across Barba’s face, accompanied by a string of stressed, nervous giggling. Sonny was certain he had never heard Barba laugh in any way before. The body pressed up against him relaxed as the giggles faded.

They held each other there for a little while longer. After some considerable time, Sonny asks, “When was the last time you ate?”

Barba’s brow furrows as he shrugs. Sonny grins.

“Come on, I know a cozy place not far from here.”


	10. Barisi & Baking

Rafael was on vacation. He needed it an everyone knew it… especially Sonny. Sonny knew better than anyone. They had only been living together for a short time, but over the past few months, it was easy to tell how stressed Rafael had been. It had gotten so bad, Rafael barely slept.

But at last, he was finally on vacation and it showed. Rafael was gradually becoming less cranky and he was sleeping more, to Sonny’s relief.

Sonny knew better than everyone how much Rafael needed this vacation. What he didn’t know was that he would be coming home on a Friday night to an apartment that smelled like a bakery. His mouth watered as he turned around the corner to the kitchen. It smelled delicious in there!

His jaw dropped at the state of the kitchen. ‘1950s sitcom’ crossed his mind as he took it all in. Both the dining table, the island, and the counter were covered in cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and some sort of baked apple treat Sonny wasn’t familiar with. Well, this certainly accounted for the mouth-watering aroma.

Rafael didn’t seem to notice him. With his back to Sonny, his attention was focused on the pie he was taking out of the oven and placing on the stovetop. Rafael removed one of his mitts to grab the thermometer, already in arms’ reach. He stuck it in the middle of the pie and patiently waited a moment. Satisfied, he removed the thermometer and put the mitten back on so he can move the pie to a cooling rack he had prepared next to the other goodies. He smiled and turned, facing Sonny and nearly dropping the pie in surprise.

“Jesus! Don’t do that!” he said through gritted teeth. Sonny watched as Rafael expertly placed the pie down on the only available cooling rack.

Sonny eyed all the desserts, his eyebrows still raised in surprise.

“Wow, you made… a lot,” he said, “I didn’t know you baked.”

“Yes, well, when I was a kid, Abuelita taught me,” Rafael explained as he turned the oven off, “Over time it’s sort of become a stress reliever.”

They both stood in silence, taking in the amount of baked goods Rafael had made.

“Did it work?” Sonny finally asked. Rafael shrugged.

“I’ll answer that after the pie is done cooling. Cherry pie is still one I have yet to master.” Sonny smiles and walks around the counter.

“Sure smells good,” he said, turning Rafael so his back is facing him. His fingers fly to the tie of Rafael’s apron, fumbling a moment. Sonny inwardly cursed the existence of the double knot.

“The last smelled good too, but the crust wasn’t finished.”

“And here I thought you had the tough, crusty hardness down,” Sonny teased as he pulled the apron loop over Rafael’s head.

Rafael pursed his lips and placed a hand on his hip.

“Watch it, detective.”

“Or what?” Sonny grinned. “I know that beneath the surface there’s a warm, gooey…”

“Please stop with the pie metaphor,” Rafael said, flawlessly keeping a straight face. Sonny’s grin grew wider. He pressed Rafael up against the counter, trapping him.

“A sweet, warm and gooey center that brings joy to many people-”

Rafael pushed himself onto his toes to shut him up with a kiss. Sonny smiled against his mouth and rested his hands on Rafael’s waist. He could taste the cookie dough Rafael could not resist sampling earlier on his tongue.


	11. Barisi & an Autumn Festival

Rollins is surprised to see how friendly Barba is with Frannie. She knows he and Carisi have a cat, but _wow_. She’s certain she’s never seen him be that friendly and smiley with another human being. He practically insists on holding onto the dog. Rollins doesn’t complain, especially since Frannie has been tugging on her leash ever since she met up with the two at this little festival downtown.

She walks side-by-side with Carisi as Barba and Frannie walk ahead of them. The festival is beautiful with streamers around lamp posts, music, and booths of all sorts lined up down the street that range from face painting to photographers. Kids laugh, the place is abuzz with sound; it’s cozy and exciting.

“Thanks again for inviting me,” Rollins tells Carisi.

“You’ve been going through a lot of crap lately. You deserve to have some fun,” he replies, gently bumping his shoulder against hers. “Plus the fall air is good for you.”

Rollins smirks at that and watches as Frannie desperately tries to tug Barba towards a food stand. She glances back at Sonny who has his gaze fixed on his boyfriend. Boyfriend. Rollins is still trying to wrap her head around that one. He watches Barba like a lovestruck puppy. It’s disgustingly cute.

“Here, let me take her,” she says. “C'mon girl.”

Barba doesn’t hesitate to hand over the leash. His hands are red from the biting crisp air. She pretends not to notice Sonny taking one of Barba’s hands in both of his to warm it up. Barba’s cheeks turn a darker pink and he pouts, but he doesn’t stop him.

Rollins shakes her head. Disgustingly cute… and no one from work would believe her.

“You should totally get your face painted,” Carisi says with a smile. Barba rolls his eyes.

“Don’t even think about it,” he grumbles. Rollins gently nudges Barba so he’s squeezed between the two.

“I think that’s a good idea. Maybe put a little pink on your nose and kitten whiskers on your cheeks…”

“God, not you too.”

Carisi grins. “Yeah! I bet Bear won’t even recognize you. You’ll be another cat to her.”

Barba protests all the way to the face painting booth.


	12. Barisi, Jelly

Sonny and Rafael had been living together for about a week without incident. Sonny kept worrying that this wasn’t going to work out. He was going to mess it up, he knew it. Not that Sonny wasn’t difficult to live with, but at his point he was quite sure he was in love with Rafael and that only increased his anxiety about screwing up.

It was strange living together. They almost never saw each other in the evenings. Mostly because neither ever came home at the same time. Some nights Sonny was at school and come home late; or sometimes Rafael would stay late at the office, getting some extra work done. It seemed the only difference to Sonny was that he was in a bigger apartment and not all the belongings in it were his.

Sonny had never been in a relationship long enough for them to take this step. On day three he came home to find that Rafael was nowhere to be seen. His shoulders fell and he kicked off his shoes as he normally did when he lived alone.

He made it a goal to unpack at least one box every day before bed. Today’s box was of family pictures. He frowned down at the box’s contents, then looked up. Rafael hadn’t put any family photos up. Then again, Sonny had done more unpacking than Rafael had. Sonny told himself that Raf just hadn’t gotten around to it. He shrugged and took out only pictures of his parents and his sisters. He and Rafael perhaps could talk later to coordinate.

It wasn’t the loud crash that awakened him some time long after midnight, but rather the loud stream of curses that followed it.

Sonny leapt out of bed, his thoughts quickly jumping to the conclusion that there was a thief in the apartment. He groped around in the dark, trying to find where he put the holster for his gun. Panic started to take over when it wasn’t where he usually kept it.

He heard a soft, familiar voice grumble and he immediately relaxed. Of course his gun wasn’t where he kept it in his _old apartment_. Of course there wasn’t a thief.

Sonny shook his head at his own foolishness as he made his way to the kitchen. It was dark, but he could make out the shape of Rafael sitting on the floor. Sonny turned on the light.

“Raf, you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Rafael said, not looking up at him. “Sorry I woke you.”

Sonny stared at the mess surrounding Rafael with wide eyes. The entire floor was covered in globs of purple goo that took Sonny a moment to wake up and piece together that it was grape jelly. Rafael sat with his back against the counter, one leg bent under him while the other stuck out. There was glass surrounding him in no particular pattern. His eyes were fixed on the palm of his hand, where a long cut stretched from his pinky to his thumb. A drop of blood welled up and dripped onto the floor.

“Shit,” said Rafael. He finally looked up at Sonny. “Where did we put the first aid kit?”

Sonny was already ten steps ahead of him and digging through one of the unpacked boxes next to the fridge.

“Ah ha!” Sonny exclaimed in triumph, pulling the first aid out. He placed it on the counter then carefully stepped around the glass and offered a hand to help Rafael up. Raf took it with his good hand, surprised how easily Sonny was able to pull him up. He leaned against the counter as Sonny opened up the kit.

“It’s just a scratch. Don’t think there’s any glass stuck in it,” said Rafael. Sonny gave a quick “Hmph” and examined Rafael’s palm.

“Think your right,” he said before taking out the cotton swabs. Sonny glanced at Rafael, then did a double take.

“Raf, are you crying?” he asked.

“No, it just hurt is all.” Rafael wiped any tear residual from his cheeks with the back of his good hand.

Sonny didn’t buy it, but he didn’t make another comment about Rafael’s damp face. Instead, he focused on cleaning the wound.

“Just wanted to make a sandwich,” Rafael mumbled at one point. “Came home hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” Sonny said with a small smile. Rafael smirked.

“That’s true.”

Sonny paused.

“Raf, it feels different since we’ve moved in together,” he said, “we barely see each other outside of work. Mornings are about it.”

Rafael smirked again.

“Funny, I was thinking about that when I dropped the damn jar. Sort of why I dropped the jar.”

Sonny paused again. Rafael continued.

“Moving in together is pushing us apart. It’s only been a week, but it’s already happening. I don’t want it to happen.” He and Sonny locked eyes a moment.

“Which is why,” Rafael continued, “I was going to ask you tomorrow morning if you would like to have dinner sometime. I’ll cook.”

A warm smile spread across Sonny’s face.

“How ‘bout tomorrow night?” he suggested. Rafael stuck out his lip in contemplation. then he nodded.

“It’s a date.”

About forty minutes later, when all the jelly and glass was cleaned up in the kitchen, Sonny wrapped his arms around Rafael’s middle and pulled him close so their foreheads touched. He buried his nose in Rafael’s hairline and sighed, more content than he had been in days.

Then something wet brushed against his nose.

“Raf,” he groaned, pulling back slightly, “I think there’s a bit of jelly in your hair.”


	13. Barisi, Passive Aggressive Holiday Decorating

_This is stupid_ , thought Barba, actively trying to not look at Sonny on the other side of the room. He wasn’t even sure why he was so angry at Sonny. It was just a dumb mistake.

 _I’m not an idiot_ , Sonny told himself as he hung a little snowman on the tree. Bear meowed at his feet, rubbing against his ankle.

"I just fed you,” he mumbled, knowing full well the cat just wanted to use the ornaments as toys.

Barba reached into the box and pulled out something green. He looked down at it for a few seconds before it clicked in his mind that he was holding mistletoe. Regret settles in the pit of his stomach. This was stupid.

He turned around.

“Sonny, can we stop?”

Sonny turned to see Barba, his brow knitted his arms at his side in defeat, the mistletoe loosely held in his hand.

“Can we please stop?” Barba’s voice was soft. Sonny nodded.

“You know I’m sorry for what happened today at court?” said Sonny.

“Yes. It wasn’t your fault the cross went south and I’m sorry I said you were an idiot and that you let it.”

Sonny silently nodded again.

“That the mistletoe?” he asked, gesturing at the plastic plant on the verge of being crumpled in Barba’s hand. Barba holds it up.

“It’s fake,” he said flatly.

“Maybe tomorrow we should go buy some real mistletoe,” Sonny replied, a smile creeping into the corner of his mouth. Barba nodded again.

One could hear a pin drop in the ten seconds of silence that followed. Then, just as the moment had come, it was gone. The mistletoe lay forgotten on the floor and Barba practically had Sonny pressed up against the tree, lips fervently finding each other, hands touching all that they could.

Bear sniffed at the plastic mistletoe, leaving the two to kiss without it.


	14. Barhoun (& Barson), Moving On

Awkward is the perfect word to describe it at first.

Rafael watches as Rita dances with her new hubby. He and Rita had long since stopped seeing each other socially, but they respected each other and still considered each other friends. It was only natural that he should come to her wedding.

But God, he was certain Rita suspected he still had feelings for her. Twenty years later, and she still suspected it. For a long time, she was right too. Back when he first transferred to Manhattan, he still had feelings for her, feelings that he would tell himself was just friendly competition in the courtroom. It was for the most part, but he could still feel that spark that had kept them together for a majority of their time at Harvard.

It had gotten easier as time marched on and they started facing each other in court more often. Somehow, the cases helped. He still held as much respect for her as he used to, but that spark of romance or sexual tension or whatever it was that they shared all those years ago, it was gone.

Rafael was sure it was gone. Rita still would give him that flirtatious sparkle in her eye in court, just as a jab to show she was messing with him. Rafael no longer responded to it though.

But now, watching her dance with one Colin Roberts -now Colin Calhoun- he wondered if in some way she was rubbing it in his face. Another piece of their rivalry. If it was, Rafael stood his ground.

“Would you care to dance?” Rafael asks Liv, who smiles back at him.

“I would be delighted,” she replies, taking his hand.

Rafael guesses that Rita would tease him sometime down the road about how the only date he could get was his colleague. Little did she know, he would confidently reply that Olivia Benson was, in fact, his girlfriend. And he is very happy.


	15. Barollins & "...They just grow up so fast."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this before we found out Declan was the father.

Amanda blames her pregnancy hormones going haywire, but it happens. For a moment, she only pretends to be listening. She knows this isn’t like her, but frankly this entire situation she’s in isn’t like her.

She instinctively brushes her fingers against her swollen belly. What if she just told him right now? She wasn’t actually certain of it. In fact, she was more confident it was Declan’s. But the possibility was there.

What if she just told him? They’re almost done talking about this case; what if she just lagged behind a minute or two? What if she told Barba the possibility he’s the father? What would happen then?

Barba already knew she wanted to keep the baby and she doubted he would oppose it. Would he want to be a part of the baby’s life? What if he didn’t? She wouldn’t blame him, but she didn’t see him stepping out of the picture all together. Does Barba even want to be a father someday?

And what if he did? What would happen? What would they do? Would it bring them closer as lovers or would they stay as friends and simply raise the child together? They say children grow so fast. Amanda starts picturing her and Barba eighteen years down the road, both looking older, both beaming proudly at their child’s graduation. Barba walking their child down the aisle, Barba playing catch with their child in a backyard, Barba helping their child with their homework, _Barba_ holding the infant in his arms as they fall asleep to a Cuban lullaby…

“Rollins, you still with us?” Barba looks at her expectantly. Amanda nods.

“I’m fine.”


	16. Barisi & “Mm…your kid before five in the morning.”

Barba and Sonny usually close the bedroom door so Bear doesn’t bother them when they’re having sex. Any other time, however, they keep the door cracked open. They both adore the cat and loves it even more when she jumps into their bed and falls asleep on their cold feet. It isn’t uncommon for Bear to do this, nor is it uncommon for her to find a different place on the bed to curl up.

Unfortunately, instead of the warm fuzzy body and soft purring, it’s the meowing and the graze of claws that wakes Barba up. He groans, wishing he could bury his head further under the covers. Bear lies curled up on his head. She meows loudly, stirring Sonny awake as well.

“Ugh… Bear?” Sonny yawns and turns onto his other side.

“Sonny, get your fucking cat off me,” Barba grumbles.

“Our cat-”

“She is _your_ cat when she does this shit.”

Bear meows in protest, her tail flicking against Barba’s nose.

“ _Sonny_.”

“Okay okay.” Sonny yawns again as he sits up. To Barba’s relief, he manages to scoop Bear off Barba’s face without a scratch. Barba pulls the blanket over his head as he listens to the sound of Sonny’s bare feet on the floor. There’s the soft creak and click of the door being closed, then the patter of Sonny’s feet again. The bed dips and Barba’s arms immediately find Sonny and pull him close.

“Don’t you just love our cat?” Barba mumbles. Sonny softly chuckles and shakes his head.


	17. Barisi & Rock Paper Scissors to see who has to go talk to the neighbors upstairs for being too loud.

“We’re grown adults. Why aren’t we just going-”

“Are you volunteering?”

“No, I’m just saying we’re adults. We should be able to talk to our neighbors like adults.”

“Sounds like you’re volunteering.”

“Maybe we should do this together.”

“You just don’t want to talk to them on your own. You’re a prosecutor, would it really be so hard for you?”

“You’re a detective. Talking to people is what you do. Why aren’t you volunteering?” Rafael sneers, then quickly adds, “And no it’s not because I don’t want to talk to them alone.”

“Just call it.”

They both raise their fists and say in unison: “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

“Oh come on, how is that fair?” Barba scowls. “I never understood that. How does paper beat rock?”

“Hey, I didn’t make the rules,” Sonny says with a grin.

“Two out of three.”

Sonny is about to remind him that that _was_ two out of three, but a loud THUMP from their upstairs neighbors cuts him off.

“That,” Barba points up at the ceiling, “could have been a body for all we know. I would feel safer if I had the police with me.”

Sonny nods. “Okay, agreed.”


	18. Barollins & “This is probably a bad time, but marry me?”

Rollins blinks a few times and runs over the words in her head. Did Barba really just ask her to marry him? _Now?_

“Didn’t know you were the marrying kind,” she says.

“I didn’t know I was, either. I’m not sure if you are, but hell, the world is ending. Why not?” Barba shrugs with a sad smile.

Rollins looks out across the ocean, imagining how in a few years it will be polluted and New York would be stuck in a nuclear winter. It was only a matter of time.

“Why not?” she says, mirroring Barba’s sad smile. She leans forward and presses a kiss to his lips. Barba covers her hand with his own. She pulls him closer, now kissing him deeply and desperately.

Barba winds up on his back in the sand and Rollins on top of him, still kissing him. The cool Atlantic waves tickle his feet. He gently strokes Rollins’ cheek with his thumb. Barba takes it all in, afraid this will one of their last good moments before it’s all gone.


	19. Barson, Ice Skating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one I wrote for celebblushes on tumblr :D

Olivia was still amazed she had convinced Rafael to do this. At least he was appropriately dressed in his brown puffy coat that she loved to see him in. Rafael Barba in his puffy coat on ice… this date couldn’t be anything less than adorable.

“You’ve _never_ been ice skating?” she said, watching Rafael take him time to proper tie up his skates. Olivia adjusted her gloves as she waited. It was a good day for this. It was freezing out, but not unbearable, and it wasn’t snowing. Ice skating in Central Park seemed a bit cliché, but knowing Rafael hadn’t ever ice skated in his life, she might as well make sure he get the most out of this experience as he could. Maybe they could even get hot chocolate later.

“Not all of us are so eager to break our necks or sprain an ankle, Liv,” he grumbled. He sat back and stared at his foot with intense concentration; what Olivia presumed was him seeing if he could wiggle his toes.

“Afraid they’re going to go flying off your feet?” Olivia suppressed a grin. Rafael shot her a look and gripped the bench.

“Okay, I’m ready,” he said.

He looked on as Olivia got to her feet without hesitation, perfectly balanced on skates as if she wore them to work every day. She offered a hand to help him up.

“You make it look easy,” he said, taking her hand. Rafael immediately lost his balance and held onto Olivia for dear life. And they weren’t even on the ice yet.

It didn’t take long for Rafael to get used to the skates. Olivia had him walk around for a few minutes to get used to them. She teased when he was ready to let go of her hand and walk on his own. Olivia secretly wondered how mad Rafael would be if she took a picture on her phone, for her eyes only, of course. Rafael would break her phone if she shared such a thing with anyone.

Rafael had both of his arms sticking out as if he were imitating a plane. He managed to turn and make his way back to her.

“Alright, I’m ready for the ice.” There was that familiar smugness in his tone, but Olivia could only nod to keep from laughing at how silly he looked with his arms up like that.

Rafael fell five seconds after getting on the ice. Olivia helped him up, asking if he was okay.

“Nothing broken yet,” he replied with a twinkle in his eye. Olivia was glad he was suddenly so eager.  Must have been the confidence boost he got from managing to walk around on the skates.

“Okay, Mr. Hotshot, why don’t we _not_ aim for the Olympics just yet?” Olivia positioned them so she was behind Rafael, slightly to his left. She slipped her hand in his. “Now, glide with me and as we move, slide one foot forward, then the next. It’s like walking but without lifting your feet.”

Rafael nodded, looking down at their feet.

“Raf, look up,” Olivia instructed. Rafael did as he was told. A smile played at the corner of his lips as they made it halfway around the rink. Olivia was about to congratulate him and encourage him, but Rafael turned his head toward over his shoulder. His lips only brushed against hers before they went down.

Rafael landed on his rump with Olivia on top of him.

“Sorry…” he said, wincing at the cold. He paused. Olivia looked down at him, a giant grin on her face. She laughed.

Rafael frowned.

“What’s so funny?”

She leaned in pecked his lips.

“That you were trying to be romantic before we even got around the rink once,” she said. “One step at a time.”

Rafael smiled right back at her and said, “I’m ready for step two.”


	20. Barisi, It's Not Enough

“Fuck… Sonny…” Barba’s breathing was heavy as he clung to Sonny with all the strength he could muster. For a brief moment, Sonny wondered if he would leave bruises.

Sonny hoped he could hold back the tears that pricked at the corners of his eyes. Sonny was a pretty emotional person, but having Barba in his arms like this, crying right now would be pathetic. He didn’t want Barba to see him so weak. Not now. He had cried at the end before; it wasn’t something Sonny wanted to repeat in his life.

Barba looked almost at peace. He raised a hand and caressed the side of Sonny’s face, his thumb brushing over Sonny’s lips and across his cheek.

“Why - _ngh_ \- why did it take so damn long? Why… did _I_ take so damn long to realize?” he said, his voice soft. Sonny could feel his heart pounding in his ears. He could feel the warmth of Barba’s staggered breath on his face. God, it was going to be over far too soon.

“I don’t know, Raf, but it’s okay now. Just please…” Sonny trailed off.

Barba shivered and groaned. He gripped Sonny’s shoulder, pulling his face closer.

“Sonny, it _hurts_ … fuck…”

“Shh, shh, Raf. It’s alright. I got ya,” Sonny whispered.

And then it was over. Barba stopped moaning, stopped calling Sonny’s name, stopped breathing.

Barba was limp in Sonny’s arms, his head lolled back and his eyes closed. Sonny still refused to cry. He sat back, still cradling Barba’s body in his arms. Barba’s head rested on Sonny’s shoulder. The warm, sticky wetness under his palm and between his fingers began to cool, but Sonny kept his hand over the wound just the same.

“Shh, Raf. It’s okay. You’re not in any more pain,” Sonny continued to whisper, “it’s okay. They’ll be here soon. I won’t leave you.”

Special Victims Unit arrived at the underground basement nearly an hour later, accompanied by a SWAT team. Benson spotted them on the concrete floor in the corner. Sonny barely reacted when she shone her light on them and yelled for the others.

“He didn’t make it,” he told her, his voice cracking. Damnit, and he was doing so well.


	21. Barisi, Shared Space

It had started with a study night. Carisi and Barba had been dating for several months now and it only seemed fair that Barba should help him study for the bar. That was the first time Carisi stepped into Barba’s apartment.

It was neat and spotless. Books were organized by author on the shelves, the kitchen pristine with the sink dry and empty. Carisi for once kept his mouth shut even though he couldn’t help but think the place barely looked lived in. He mentally compared it to set up rooms in a furniture store; nice to look at, but it was just a set with no real person bringing life to it. Barba’s office sure shows that he can bring personality and life into a place. Carisi could only assume Barba simply didn’t spend much time in his own apartment.

Months later, Carisi shivers awake under the blankets and tightens his arms around a warm Barba. It’s been a freezing weekend, but Carisi didn’t mind if he got to spend it warm in their bed.

The morning urge to pee eventually drags Carisi away from the warmth and into the bathroom. As he washes his hands, he groggily wonders if he remembered to bring his toothbrush last night. He blinks a few times, running over the day before in his head. He hadn’t brought anything, he realizes.

Carisi’s brow furrows as he glances at the mug on the side of the sink. There are already two toothbrushes there. _Wait…_ Carisi stares at himself in the mirror in pleasant surprise. He hasn’t spent the night in his own apartment in two weeks.

He finds Barba in the kitchen, making coffee. Barba doesn’t seem to notice him. Carisi is noticing everything now. He notices his own law books scattered in various places in the apartment. He notices that sometimes when he and Barba would see each other at work, Carisi would observe the way his waistcoat showed off the curve of his abdomen and remember that he had watched Barba button that up only hours prior. Carisi notices how there are now dishes in the sink or the pillows on the couch are messed up. Carisi barely goes back to his own apartment because he’s practically living with Barba… and what’s more, Barba is living there too.

Carisi smiles at that. He had seen Barba soften up to him more as their relationship progressed. It wasn’t a secret that Barba was happier with him, but now that Carisi spent more time in Barba’s apartment, so did Barba.

“Want some coffee?” Barba asks, still half-asleep.

“Yeah,” Carisi replies. His chest feels all fuzzy and he wonders if Barba is aware that they’re living together. He probably does.


	22. Pet Sitting (no pairings)

Barba wasn’t lonely, but there was something a little sad about coming home to no one. Most of his life, he liked it that way. He’d never been in a relationship long enough to move in with anyone. As for pets, at most he kept a fish; they were easy to take care of.

It was early in the day and Barba had to be in court in an hour. There was a bit of a fuss at the DA’s office. Barba had gone into the building trying to ignore it and instead focus on the high-profile trial at 9 am.

An hour until the trial and Barba was not about to entertain anything outside of it… until one of the other ADAs knocked on his door.

“What is it, Gerald?” Barba asked without looking up. Gerald Callahan always wore too much Old Spice; always a giveaway. Gerald smirked and shook his head.

“Goddamn, Barba. Why do you always work so hard?”

“Is there a point to your visit, Gerald?” Barba didn’t have time to socialize. The mayor was keeping a close eye on this case, along with the media. Barba had to make sure his case was air-tight.

“Conni’s cavalier gave birth, remember? She brought the puppies in today. You should take a break and come pet them. They’re adorable.”

Barba rolled his eyes.

“I’m very busy right now.”

“Pet therapy is real, Rafael. You should stop being such a hard ass and pet the damn pooches.” Gerald quickly strode across the office and tugged at Barba’s arm. Barba pulled himself out of Gerald’s grasp.

“Fine!” he squawked, eager to make Gerald stop touching him. “I’ll come pet the puppies, if it’ll make you leave me alone.”

“That’s the spirit!” Gerald grinned, leading Barba out of his office.

Barba had to admit, they were pretty damn cute. He kneeled down and scratched behind the ears of a black and brown puppy who was fascinated by the smell of his hand -likely from the lingering scent of coffee Barba had nearly burned himself with earlier that morning.

The puppy was no bigger that his hand; he was sure it could curl up right in his palm.

“Aww I think she likes you,” said Conni, holding one of the other puppies in her arms.

“She likes the smell of coffee on me,” Barba reasoned, pulling his hand back. The puppy followed it and made an attempt to jump onto Barba’s knee.

“Rafael, I’ve been telling everybody this all morning, but I really wanted to let you know too.”

“Hm?”

Conni scratched the head of the puppy in her arms.

“I’m making offers for people to take the puppies off my hands…”

Barba froze, knowing where this was going.

Conni continued, “I know you’re a bit of a workaholic, but do you have any pets? She certainly likes you.”

Barba looked up at her.

“No, Conni. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

He ended up calling the puppy cavalier Roxy, after a cocker spaniel his grandmother used to have when he was a kid.

It was a match made in heaven. Roxy was friendly and full of energy, as all puppies are, but she would mellow out by the end of the day. Despite Barba’s attempts to teach her to not jump on the couch, she would do so anyway, curling up on his lap.

His neighbor was an owner of two shih tzus and was more than willing to petsit when Barba was at work.

Roxy had only been with Barba for about a month when another case required Barba’s exclusive attention and he didn’t have much time to keep eye on the puppy. Unfortunately, that was also the same day his neighbor was out of town.

Barba stared down at Roxy, knowing there was only one choice: he had to bring her to work.

Roxy seemed to be familiar with the DA’s office. Conni was busy that day, but he paid her office a quick visit before retreating into his own to look over his notes for the trial later that morning. Roxy, as always, was a ball of energy, running and jumping around the office.

Not long after he finally got Roxy to settle down did Benson and Rollins show up. Rollins’ eyes bugged in excitement to see the puppy. Benson gave Barba a questioning look.

“Bring your pets to work day?” she teased.

“Petsitter is out of town,” he quickly explained as Roxy got all riled up again around Rollins.

“What are you gonna do with her at the trial?” she asked as she scratched Roxy’s belly. Barba had no answer. He couldn’t ask his secretary to look after her; she’s allergic to dogs. When he didn’t respond, Rollins smiled.

“I can take care of her.”

Barba glared down at her.

“No you cannot, you’re testifying today.” He sounded offended at the very suggestion.

“Oh come on. Liv can hold onto her outside the courtroom while I’m testifying and we’ll swap when it’s her turn.”

Barba looked to Benson, hoping she would come up with a better idea. Instead Benson looked stoked over the idea. Two to one, he didn’t stand a chance.

Barba didn’t realize what was wrong until he spotted the black and brown blur run behind the stenographer. He had just announced that the People Rest, when the commotion started -a few giggles from the gallery and a startled scream.

The judge called order as the courtroom erupted into chaos. Someone screamed “Rat!” causing everyone, including the jury to jump to their feet. Everyone started bumping into each other, some were just trying to see what it was while others were trying to leave the room completely.

Someone else cried out “It’s a cat!” and pointed towards the witness stand.

Barba heard a familiar, soft “Woof!” to his left and spotted Roxy running towards him. He kneeled just in time for the overwhelmed puppy to jump right into his arms. The poor thing was shaking, whether from the excitement or in fear he wasn’t sure. What Barba was sure was that he was going to kill Rollins.

No one had noticed Barba’s rescue of the dog from the now stampeding crowd. The judge was still calling for order when he managed to get wriggle himself out of the courtroom.

Rollins and Benson stood right outside the door with shocked looks on their faces. Barba glared at them, gently petting Roxy as he approached them. Immediately Benson started making excuses.

“It was so cold outside, we didn’t think it would do much harm if we brought her inside. But then she got so excited, she wriggled out of my grasp.”

Barba rolled his eyes.

“I told you to keep her on her leash,” he snapped, “she could have gotten stepped on.”

He looked down at the puppy, who was no longer trembling, but wriggling again, eager to explore the courthouse some more. She barked and licked Barba’s chin. Barba’s heart melted, along with his anger. He kissed the top of her head and handed the puppy over to Rollins.

“I better get back in there before I’m missed,” he said, moving back towards the door. He paused and looked back at the two. “This is the last time I hire you two to petsit for me.”


	23. Barba & Liv + "You're going to make it. Just stay awake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a new prompt on tumblr, so I thought I'd stick it in this collection!

_Not like this. Not like this._

It was a mantra Barba kept repeating to himself as Liv cradled his shoulders and head in her arms. She was yelling words of encouragement at him.

“You’re going to make it! Just stay awake! Stay with me!”

Liv had called an ambulance. They were on their way. Did she know this was futile? Did she know that the nearest hospital was miles away?

Had this been right: the two of them going upstate to personally speak with a victim, try to get her to testify? She had refused and they could do nothing. Could they have known what would have happened once they got back on the road? If they had gotten back on the road one minute sooner, or one minute later, they would have been fine. The truck would have missed them. They’d be fine and on their way home. Wouldn’t they?

Did she know that Barba could already feel the cold seeping into his skin? Was that his heart stopping or was it speeding up? He couldn’t tell anymore. He couldn’t feel the lower half of his body. Trapped under the car.

“You’re bleeding, Liv,” he said softly, pointing at the blood matted in her hair.

“Don’t worry about me, Rafael. They’re going to be here soon. We’re going to be okay. Just stay awake…”

Barba could hear the sirens in the distance. He felt relief wash over him and, at last, he closed his eyes.


	24. Barisi & “Come here. Let me fix it.”

Sonny sharply cursed under his breath. He turned slightly away from the team and held his thumb up to inspect it. Jesus, there was _blood_. He tucked his thumb into the palm of his hand and turned back to the team.

Seeing he seemed to be fine, Liv continued talking about the unreliable witness they had. Amanda glanced at Sonny, silently asking if he was okay. He returned with a polite smile. _I’m fine._

Rafael still had his eyes on him, his gaze flickering between Sonny’s face and the fist he was making. His staring finally relented when Liv brought up the inconclusive DNA results.

Liv and Amanda were packing up their files at the table when Rafael beckoned Sonny over.

“What is it, Barba?”

Rafael held out his hand, as if expecting to get a treat.

“Come on, Carisi, we all heard the bomb you dropped after you handed Liv the file. Come here, let me fix it.” He wiggled his fingers in emphasis.

Sonny hesitated, hating every moment of this. He felt like a child about to be scolded. He placed his hand in Rafael’s and finally opened his fist. There wasn’t as much blood as he thought there might be; just a drop in his palm.

Rafael inspected his cut thumb and pulled out a band-aid from the top drawer of his desk.

“Paper cuts,” he said – _teased_ \- as he unwrapped the band-aid, “gotta love ‘em.” He moved slowly but gently as he wrapped the bandage around Sonny’s thumb.

“Kiss it better?” Sonny said with a smirk.

“Don’t push it, Detective.”

_Maybe later then._


End file.
